Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra Review: Why This Malayalam Superheroine Film is a Landmark for Indian Cinema

Indian cinema audiences have been glancing westwards, to Hollywood, for decades, for their dose of expansive cinematic worlds and legendary superheroes. We’ve applauded over Iron Man and Captain America and asked ourselves whether we’d ever have a native universe to compare with that scale and ambition. Well, marvel no more, because the wait is over.

August 28, 2025, was a seismic day in the Indian film landscape. Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra didn’t merely open in cinemas; it opened in style with a grand, spectacular flourish, breaking box office and expectation records alike with the same pizzazz. This is not merely a film; it’s the opening salvo of the Lokah Cinematic Universe (LCU), and it’s here to revolutionize things.

This movie shows that a strong tale, based on our own thriving heritage, has the ability to make magic that connects with the world. It’s a salute to director Dominic Arun’s vision, the production skills of Dulquer Salmaan, and a performance for the ages by Kalyani Priyadarshan. Let’s dive deep into why this cinematic revolution is what everyone is raving about.

What Exactly is the Lokah Cinematic Universe All About?

Before we get to know our heroine, let’s get acquainted with the world she lives in. Lokah Cinematic Universe is an ambitious five-movie series which sets out to synthesize ancient Indian mythology with hard-boiled, contemporary storytelling. It’s a dauntless aspiration, one that a great many have tried but few have succeeded with such elegance.

Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra is the cornerstone of this ambitious universe. It takes us to a world where the magical beings of our grandmother’s tales exist. They are among us, disguised in plain clothes, their ancient battles being fought in the neon-lit backstreets of modern cities. This brilliant marriage of the known and the unknown is what lends the LCU its distinctive character.

It breaks away from the empty, spectacle-oriented remakes and offers us something new, something with heart. The world feels carefully crafted, each character and event pointing toward a grander, more complex canvas waiting to be revealed in the upcoming chapters. Anticipation for what’s to come already kicks in.

A Heroine For The Ages: Meet Chandra, The Unyielding Guardian

At the center of this world is Chandra, brought to stunning power and vulnerability by Kalyani Priyadarshan. This is more than a female lead; this is the first real female superheroine of Malayalam cinema, and she is a force of nature. She is introduced in the film in a burst of glory, literally, as she pilots a death-defying escape from a collapsing structure.

Her entrance is set with grandeur and poise that immediately etches her in your memory. She is quick, incisive, and mysterious, descending on Bengaluru with a mission known only to her. Kalyani owns the character fully, be it her dominating physical presence during action sequences or the fleeting moments of a centuries-old anguish hidden beneath her eyes.

Chandra is a reinterpretation of an age-old folklore motif. She is a Kalliyankattu Neeli, a creature of Kerala folklore commonly demonized as a vengeful female spirit or a witch. The movie masters over this plot. She is not here a monster to dread but an independent, religious-restoring advocate of justice. She is the guardian, the upholder of the innocent in a world constructed on unequal terms.

Beyond Spectacle: The Masterful Worldbuilding of Director Dominic Arun

Perhaps the greatest achievement of Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra is its absolute dedication to character-driven storytelling. In a time when VFX tends to dominate the narrative, this film employs its spectacle for the benefit of the story and not vice versa. Director Dominic Arun, in collaboration with the talented Santhy Balachandran, has ensured that the mythos enhances the story.

The world has the patina of being lived-in and real. The movie takes from oral traditions known to Malayali viewers but grounds them in dark, contemporary realities such as organ trafficking. It sparks a compelling dissonance here—ancient evil pitted against modern-day crime. The lore does not drown out the characters; rather, it imbues them with a deep richness and a strong reason for being.

The writing is sharp, intelligent, and carries the unmistakable imprint of a woman’s perspective, thanks to Santhy Balachandran. This female voice is crucial in shaping Chandra’s ferocity, her ideals, her flaws, and her mission. It makes her feel real, relatable, and truly revolutionary. The trio of Arun, Balachandran, and Tovino Thomas reunites after Tharangam, and their synergy is evident in every frame.

The "Butterflies and Rage" Moment: Female Power Unleashed on Screen

For the first time in mainstream Indian cinema, women viewers get to feel the same unadulterated thrill that men have been talking about all along while watching a Superman or Captain America movie. Seeing Chandra move is thrilling. It provokes a heady combination of butterflies and raw adrenaline.

In a early moment, a local thug intimidates her friend. Chandra’s reaction is quick, sharp, and full of moral authority. Her punches fall with an unshakeable calm that immediately sets her character. The background music resonates “Queen of the night, no saviour in sight,” presenting her as compelling, majestic, and never apologetic for being boss.

She isn’t diluted to appeal to a male audience. She isn’t over-sexualized. She isn’t sitting around for a man to save her. She is the savior. This is a turning point moment. It makes you question whether we need an supernatural female on the screen to take back justice because the world as it is does not often grant its women such unchallenged authority. She is a spectacle, a savior, and an icon.

A Neon-Drenched Playground: Bengaluru Through a Cyberpunk Lens

The setting of the film is as much a character as Chandra herself. Dominic Arun’s Bengaluru is a thing of beauty. It doesn’t try to be a realistic portrayal; instead, it’s etched in neon blues and reds, leaning into a cyberpunk sheen with a touch of Wong Kar-Wai’s visual allure.

The city has a life of its own, a life more lived at night than in the daytime. Chandra navigates these streets as the solitary moon of an agitated sky—a steady, imposing figure during chaos. This visual style propels the film into the realm of style as art beyond that of a mere superhero movie.

Nimish Ravi’s cinematography is nothing short of spectacular. The camera jolts with every blow Chandra lands, then slices through the air as she moves at supersonic speeds. The transitions are audacious and imaginative, like a spilled salt bottle dissolving into constellations. It’s a visual masterclass that outshines many bigger-budget spectacles.

Sunny and Chandra: An Unlikely and Refreshing Friendship

A good hero requires an appealing human anchor, and Naslen Gafoor fills the role with elegance as Sunny. Their initial encounter is like something from a fairy tale in the contemporary world—Chandra rescues him from an oncoming car with supernatural quickness and disappears, leaving him shaken and curious.

What follows is a fascinating friendship in which tension, humor, and authentic affection are layered. Sunny is a rare and much-needed archetype: a man who is intrigued and respectful of a powerful woman without feeling threatened or needing to make her less. He is not the usual hero; he is the heart.

His buddies, Arun Kurian and Chandu Salimkumar, are perfect comic relief and sidekicks. They mellow out the edges of the grizzly world of Chandra and infuse the story with much-needed lightness. Their interaction is believable, and you find yourself rooting for them as much as you are interested in the supernatural drama.

Tovino Thomas's Chathan: A Magnetic and Mysterious Wildcard

No film universe is complete without a charismatically unhinged wildcard, and Chathan, Tovino Thomas’s character, fits the bill to the letter. He comes on as a quick-witted, magnetic magician-goblin type, exuding an offhand charm that illuminates the screen. His is a character full of mystery, with a moral orientation not spelled out at first glance.

Tovino brings a delicious ambiguity to the role. You’re never quite sure if he’s a friend or a foe, and that unpredictability is thrilling. The film treats his cameo not as a mere star appearance but as a meaningful thread in the larger fabric of the LCU, promising much more to come in future instalments.

His presence provides an additional level of depth to the universe, one that suggests the greater universe of magical creatures and wars that lie outside of Chandra’s immediate quest. It’s a performance that makes you wish for more, and it’s precisely what a good universe-builder must do.

The Box Office Verdict: A Content-Driven Blockbuster Smashes Records

The figures behind Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra are a tale in themselves and a behemoth triumph for content-focused cinema. Produced on a prudent budget of around ₹35 crore, the film has gone bonkers at the box office, proving that people are hungry for something new.

It broke records, beating the openings of high-budget star franchises such as Coolie and War 2. Sacnilk states that the movie raked in a staggering ₹31.05 crore net in India alone within its opening five days. It grossed an incredible ₹65 crore globally in its opening weekend and is moving rapidly towards the ₹100 crore mark.

his is unprecedented for a film topbilled by actors who are not “traditional superstars.” As noted by analyst Sreedhar Pillai, this is a key shift it emphasizes: the people are hungry now for change and strong stories rather than just star power. This victory opens the doors for more experimentation and originality in Indian film.

The Final Word: A Groundbreaking Triumph That Demands Your Attention

Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra is not merely a film, it’s a cultural phenomenon. It is a lesson in confidence, style, and substance when it comes to introducing a franchise. It effortlessly blends ancient legend with modern-day circumstance, rendering a world that is both otherworldly and real.

Technically, the film is a knockout, from Jakes Bejoy’s thumping, hook-laden techno score to Chaman Chakko’s innovative cuts, particularly the stunning pre-interval sequence. But essentially, its best asset is its heart and hero. Kalyani Priyadarshan’s Chandra is a heroine who will inspire an entire generation.

It heralds not only the regional supremacy of Malayalam cinema but an aspiration that situates itself against international models—and triumphs. This is a daring, stunning, and stunningly realized vision that should be acclaimed. Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra is not only the finest superhero movie India has made; it’s one of the finest films of the year, bar none.